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Judge jails man for 12 years for subjecting young daughter to a catalogue of sexual abuse

A High Court judge jailed a man for 12 years yesterday for treating his young daughter as a 'sex slave', denouncing him for what he said was 'depraved' and 'appalling' behaviour.

Recorder Wong Ching-yue, SC, who had told the man on Wednesday that he had to calm himself before passing sentence, said: 'I appreciate that this is a very severe sentence but I do not have any regrets about it.

'My only regret is that no matter how severe the sentence I pass on you, it would be insufficient compensation to your daughter in what she is suffering, has suffered and will continue to suffer.

'All this suffering is caused by your selfish, depraved and totally unwarranted actions.'

The man, 37, cannot be named to protect the identity of the girl, who is now 14. He pleaded guilty to five counts of rape and one of buggery, which took place in the family flat between 1996 and 2003.

The Court of First Instance heard he first attacked the girl when she was between six and eight. In one instance, she was in bed beside her younger brother.

The girl was either blindfolded or had her head covered with a quilt during the attacks. Each time he warned his daughter not to tell anyone.

But on November 16 last year she made a report to police. Her father was arrested and confessed to the crimes in two videotaped interviews.

Mr Recorder Wong said he hoped the girl would grow up to be strong enough to overcome the memories and emotional scarring inflicted by her father.

But he added: 'I have no doubt that it will cause her nightmares for the rest of her life. You have treated your daughter as your sexual slave and commanded her to submit to your sexual gratification whenever it is your whim.'

He said the victim was unable to recall all of the occasions and details of each rape.

'But for the report made by police by your daughter on 16 November, 2003, and based on your behaviour, it is quite clear that these actions ... would have continued,' he said.

He would not go into details of the crimes except to say 'they painted a very grim picture of the value of the freedom you placed on another human being. No matter how one looks at it, what you have done is appalling. Particularly so because the victim was your own daughter and you subjected her to these atrocities when she was only six to eight years old.'

The judge rejected submissions that very little violence had been used in the attacks.

'Not caring about your own children is bad enough, but what you have done must rank about the worst type of abuse that can be imagined on one's own daughter,' he said.

'I know of no country or even the most primitive civilisation which would view this in any other way.'

He said it would be ridiculous to suggest that the man's daughter would not suffer from consequential trauma as a result of his 'depraved behaviour'.

The judge referred to a world-wide attack on paedophiles who were being 'hunted down and brought to justice'.

'There can be no dispute that your behaviour towards your daughter constitutes that of a paedophile,' he said.



'Selfish, depraved and appalling'